Police Offering $10,000 Reward In Case Of Murdered Bride

Estrella Carrera, 26, was found stabbed to death in her apartment in Burbank, two days after her wedding. She was wearing the same dress she had on as she celebrated her marriage with her family on her wedding night. (Family Photo)

CHICAGO (CBS) — Burbank police say they believe the newlywed accused of stabbing his bride to death almost two weeks ago may be in central Mexico.

There’s a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of 30-year-old Arnoldo Jimenez, says Burbank Police Capt. Joe Ford.

“That’s where his family is from,” he said. “His parents are there and a bunch of relatives are there – in a town called La Campana in the state of Durango.

“We know he’s traveled there on several occasions in the past.”

Ford says police have received tips that Jimenez is in central Mexico. Those tips, about 450 of them, come from people in the Chicago area now but who still maintain ties to their native home in that same part of Mexico.

On the car that Jimenez was last known to be driving – the black 2006 Maserati – Ford says they do not believe he’s still driving it. But he says – police would like to find it.

Court documents obtained by CBS 2 reveal police doggedly Jiminez soon after finding his new wife slain in the bathtub.

On May 12 — the day after the wedding — a track found he used the phone in Chicago, then Southern Illinois, then Memphis, then Arkansas. On May 13, he placed calls from Houston then Hidalgo, Texas.

Neighbors are still incredulous about the crime.

“She was nice, gorgeous, beautiful — hard to believe you could do that to somebody,” Theresa Wilbanks said. “I still can’t believe they haven’t caught him — it’s hard to believe.”